Friday, June 06, 2008

Another diplomatic incident has been reported in Zimbabwe, this time in the town of Bindura. According to Mark Weinberg, an official at the American Embassy in Harare, a convoy of American and British diplomats on a fact finding trip to Bindura on Thursday were stopped by a gang of state agents that included police, intelligence agents and war veterans. They were told to go to the local police station, but they refused.

Weinberg said the diplomatic delegation went on its way but were followed. They were stopped at a roadblock by the same gang, who this time had their guns drawn and pointed at the diplomats....

According to a BBC report, there were 10 US embassy officials and 4 officials from the UK High Commission on the trip. The US Ambassador James McGee was not involved in the incident, but he is quoted as saying that a Zimbabwean driver working with a US embassy security official was beaten up by the group. The war vets stole a camera and a satellite telephone.

McGee said the incident was ‘extremely serious and a violation of all diplomatic protocols’. He warned that the American government would raise it at the very highest levels with the Zimbabwean authorities....